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Kratom, a Southeast Asia plant used as an alternative to opioids, was set to join the DEA’s Schedule I list Sept. 30, although the timeline seemed in question Thursday. Customers in Tacoma, though, were taking no chances and stocking up. Lui Kit Wonglwong@thenewstribune.com

Kratom, a Southeast Asia plant used as an alternative to opioids, was set to join the DEA’s Schedule I list Sept. 30, although the timeline seemed in question Thursday. Customers in Tacoma, though, were taking no chances and stocking up. Lui Kit Wonglwong@thenewstribune.com

Users of drug kratom stocking up before it becomes illegal

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Schedule I drug list at some point is set to grow by one.

Kratom, made from leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia and ingested typically for pain relief or as a stimulant, was to join the list as early as Friday.

Its addition to the list, though, will come at a later date. An emergency scheduling order was issued in August by the DEA, which has faced pushback from elected officials and others against the quick Schedule I action, seeking more time for public comment and a regular review process. Supporters contend kratom serves as a safe alternative to prescription opioids.

Drugs already on the Schedule I list of “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” as determined by the DEA: heroin, LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, methaqualone and peyote.

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The drug scheduling designation is important because it will make kratom illegal to possess or sell. It also puts it in a more restrictive class than prescription drugs such as oxycodone and fentanyl, which are on Schedule II, the list of drugs with “high potential for abuse.” Drugs on Schedule I can incur the strictest federal penalties for those caught in possession of them.

Drug scheduling gained renewed focus nationally this summer when the DEA decided to keep marijuana on its most dangerous list. Penalties associated with that list are in conflict with states where cannabis is legal, including Washington.

The Seattle Times reported this week that a bipartisan group of U.S. House members sent a letter to the DEA arguing against a swift addition of kratom to the Schedule I list. Washington Reps. Adam Smith and Denny Heck were among those to sign the letter.

Any delay in the DEA’s drug scheduling doesn’t mean kratom won’t be added, only that the final date for a public listing hasn’t been set. Questions remain over how medical research would proceed under the ban, or whether the temporary listing would become permanent.

Back in Tacoma, kratom users such as Dombrosky say the alternative medicine has allowed them to live fuller lives without the side effects of opioids.

“I am able to be in the moment and not get bogged down by pain,” she said.

The News Tribune’s Debbie Cockrell and The Seattle Times contributed to this report.